During the third week of their build season, MarsWars accomplished several important goals.

The biggest accomplishment was testing the accuracy and efficiency of the shooter, taking the successes and failures of said tests into account to start work on the final version. The team tested the accuracy by shooting 10 boulders and comparing the proximity of the spots where each landed.

The Electrical team continued work on the MarsCars and began working on the electrical board for the robot. Meanwhile the modeling team finished the final tweaks to the design.
The team also finished the practice tower, complete with tracking tape and a brick themed paint job. Then they practiced shooting boulders into the goals, taking note of the shooting angles that were most effective.

While the first week was spent brainstorming and refining ideas, Mars Wars has spent their second week turning those ideas into a reality.

The electrical team worked on deciding which batteries are still usable. On top of that, they also completed the electrical circuits for this years Mars Cars project.

The modeling team had been working on designing the frame and the shooter of the robot.

The Mechanical team is finishing work on the castle and other field pieces that will e used to practice once the robot is completed.

The programming team finished working on the shooter and are currently working on the drive train.

The Strategy team has been spending time looking at topics on Chief Delphi and the FIRST Q and A in order to accumulate a variety of ideas that could come in handy. They also taught their members how to use the CNC Milling machine.

This week, along with the rest of the FIRST community, Mars/Wars began the build season, working on a potential robot to compete in the Stronghold competition. After discussing broad ideas during the kickoff event, the team got to work logistically comparing alternative paths for the robot to take.

Members of the team also began construction of a practice field and the outer works that accompany it to use once the robot is complete. Mars Wars intends to construct a complete metal tower. The modeling team got to work designing the first prototype robot. The Electrical team worked on familiarizing themselves with the new motors and tested the batteries. The Programming team began updating laptops with new software. On a whole, it has been a very productive first week for the MarsWars team.

2016 Working Agreement
This working agreement is for the team of students selected for the 6 week competition robot build season in January and February to build the FRC competition robot. This working agreement was drafted by the student leadership team from last year, and is indicative of the commitment that is necessary by all team members through this intense build season.

Meeting Times:
All those on the January/February competition build team can commit to the following
meeting times.:
Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday evenings:
Check in at 5:45 with work going from 6:00PM -8:00PM
Saturdays: 9:00AM- 3:00PM
There will be some build sessions on weekdays days that we do not have school in session.
For the full calendar, see the “Team Calendar” tab at the top of the MarsWars.org website.

Attendance:
We know that conflicts may arise and thus ask that team members attend at least 80% of
the weekday evening build sessions and at least 5.5 of the 7 Saturday build sessions.

Definition of On Time:
Team members are also asked to commit to being on time and staying for the duration of
build sessions or as otherwise decided by individuation sub teams. Arriving late or leaving early will constitute as an absence.

Notification of Absences:
Absences must be posted prior to the meeting time (the sooner the better). This is important so that team leaders can plan daily build sessions accordingly.
Absences should be posted to the “2016 Build Season Report Absence” link that is found under the “Quick Links” section of the team forum.

Expectations while in working sessions:
Responsible phone usage
Knowing what you’re going to be working on before coming to the build session
Not being on Youtube or other computer games

What do I do if my main role on the team is not currently active or I do not have anything to do?
There is always something that can be done to help the team, and we expect everyone to step up and stretch yourselves. Part of committing to this varsity level competition team is being able to be self directive. We expect team members that are active in this varsity level group to see projects through completion and find additional projects to work on. Also, as a member of this varsity level group, if a mentor asks you to complete a task, we expect it to be completed regardless of how enjoyable it is. Often times, past team members have found fun ways to approach even the menial tasks. Loitering in hallways or classrooms, “hanging out”, or not being productive is not an option. If this becomes a pattern with team members we will ask them to not return to the competition build season as there is time during the rest of the year to be involved in other robotics activities.

Competition Attendance:
Team members need to keep their commitments to be eligible to attend competitions with
the team. This means that it is possible for a robotics team member to decide not to try out for the January/ February varsity level competition group, but still attend the local competition with the team.

Other Extracurricular Activities:
Students who compete in the varsity level January/ February competition build season are
asked to consider their other extracurricular commitments prior to the season starting. Please do not take the place of another student if you cannot commit to this working agreement.